Living in the results-driven industry of professional sport it is difficult to dress up defeats. Especially when they come against a side bottom of the league and your organisation is as big as Leeds Rhinos.
There's no getting away from the fact that this could be a damaging defeat for the Rhinos, who had an opportunity to move within a point of the play-offs but instead now risk being out of the picture given Wigan Warriors and Catalans Dragons are next up.
But if Leeds do miss out on the top six it shouldn't be this game that's looked back on as the defining moment. Leeds were without their first-choice fullback, two senior halfbacks, their star hooker and best centre. Throw in the absence of two regular front-rowers to the mix and Leeds were always up against it here. If you took those players out of any other team in Super League, they'd also come up short.
